Rodeo

Julie Ledru in Rodeo

Lola Quivoron's Rodeo is a promising feature debut from France. Julie Ledru play Julia, an émigré from Guadeloupe who joins a gang of daredevil cyclists. The gang operates out of garage owned by their imprisoned leader who helps conduct their nefarious activities. The gang is a largely misogynistic bunch, but some of them accept Julie when she displays her resourcefulness and toughness. Quivoron largely films the action in a handheld, verite style which has its positive and negative facets. It gives the film a feeling of immediacy and brings some freshness to the featured players: Ledru, Antonia Buresi, and Yanis Lafki all give memorable performance. 

However, the film has a haphazard structure. There is little dramatic buildup or release. Quivoron's free floating camera also tends to flatten the efforts of the supporting cast into one dimensionality. I was moved by the chivalric self-sacrifice of Julia's heroic journey, but wonder if the film would have benefitted from a mythic framing rather than a realistic one.